NOAA

Media Contact:
Barbara McGehan
NOAA Space Environment Center, Boulder, Colo.
(303) 497-6288

After four months of minimal activity, the sun is again waking up. It produced a major solar flare today at 5:15 a.m. EST, according to NOAA's Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colo. The flare emerged from one of the largest sunspot areas of the sun to erupt in more than a decade. As a result of this event, a strong radio blackout (R3 on NOAA's space weather scales) also occurred at 5:15 a.m. EST. Category R3 radio blackouts adversely affect high-frequency radio communications and low-frequency navigation signals on the sunlit side of the Earth. In addition, aurora borealis, or northern lights, may be visible along the northern tier of the U.S. over the weekend.

Forecasters also expect geomagnetic storms reaching minor to isolated severe levels (G1 to G3 on the space weather scales) to occur during March 30-April 1 as a result of recent Earth-directed coronal mass ejections.

According to NOAA space weather forecasters, the sun has been showing signs of increased activity in recent weeks. The sun goes through 11-year cycles of activity and right now it's in the period of high activity called solar maximum.

Relevant Web Sites

• NOAA's Space Environment Center http://www.sec.noaa.gov/
• NOAA's Space Weather Scales http://www.sec.noaa.gov/NOAAscales/
• NOAA Space Weather Advisories http://www.sec.noaa.gov/advisories/
• Today's Space Weather Forecast -- Includes the latest image of the sun from Earth-based telescopes positioned around the world. http://www.sec.noaa.gov/today.html
• Real-time images of the Sun from NASA's SOHO Satellite http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime-images.html
• SPACE WEATHER -- WHAT IS IT AND WHY DO WE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT? http://www.spaceweather.noaa.gov/stories/sw2c.htm
• NEW NOAA SPACE WEATHER SCALES MAKE SOLAR MAX EFFECTS MORE PREDICTABLE http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s317.htm